CHICAGO - While violence rages back home, some Israeli and Palestinian teens opened their hearts and minds to each other in Chicago this summer.

Hosted by American families during the three-week Hands of Peace program, they did the hard emotional work of "hearing the other side" and wondering how they can be the change that brings peace in the future.

"Miriam," 16, of Jerusalem said finding hope in hopeless times is difficult but possible.

"I sat there and I fought with tears and words," she said, "and I felt like if I let those people give up, then everything is lost - and after a while I helped those people find the hope inside them again."

Miriam said returning home is challenging but friendships are more powerful than any peace agreement - and love is the best way to model change for others. Whether it's through a post on social media or talking about change with your friends and family, she said, the little things add up.

Miriam has made Palestinian friends through the program, which she said shows others how to break stereotypes and discover peace is possible with their neighbors.

"Two Palestinians or four Israelis being killed because of beliefs and ideological things, you finally understand what that means," she said. "It's not just on the newspaper anymore. It can be your friend, it could be your cousin."

During the sessions, Miriam heard stories from Palestinian teens challenging what she had been taught. No matter where you are from, she said, there are always two sides to every story.

"Some of those stories were very hard, very difficult to deal with as an Israeli who believed the idea that soldiers are always heroes, are never doing anything wrong," she said. "And facing mistakes are happening all over Israel has been hard."

Miriam added that if today's teens can learn to understand and respect one another - as tomorrow's teachers, business leaders, politicians and activists - they can pave the way for a peaceful future.

"I can't fight what's going on right now and I can't fight the past, but I can try to put darkness aside and think about what good do I bring to the world," she said. "And I help to bring light. And just like that, if everybody will add a little light of their own, eventually we won't have any more darkness."

She might be on the right path; the Center for Systemic Peace reports that armed conflict trends worldwide are drastically down from a high point in 1993.

More information is online at systemicpeace.org.


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Groups supporting peace around the globe say the budget approved by Congress is lacking crucial components.

After a monthslong stalemate, Congress has approved the fiscal year 2024 budget.

Megan Rodgers, U.S. policy and advocacy manager for the group Nonviolent Peaceforce, said there are cuts across the board affecting humanitarian aid and civilian support. She pointed out the bill also does not include language recognizing unarmed civilian protection, a methodology to peacefully protect civilians in violent conflicts.

"Any violent conflict that's making headlines today, there are UCP groups that are working and very effective, have access that other traditional aid groups don't, are equipping and protecting civilians that often go overlooked and disproportionately feel the effects of this violent conflict," Rodgers explained.

Rodgers pointed out unarmed civilian protection is used around the world and the U.S. government provides funds for groups employing it.

Rodgers noted budget negotiations for next year are already happening.

"That language was not included for the first time in about five years in the fiscal year 2024 bill and we are really keen to have that included in fiscal year 2025," Rodgers emphasized.

Rodgers added Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., has a lot of influence on funds, such as for groups using unarmed civilian protection, as the chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee.

"We have appreciated her leadership in the past but are certainly looking for more support specifically for unarmed civilian protection as well as peace building and protection in the upcoming year," Rodgers stressed.

Organizations are asking people to join them in a fast on Thanksgiving in solidarity with people suffering from war conditions in Gaza.

Groups including the Council on American-Islamic Relations Oregon and the Movement for Black Lives are calling for a global fast to highlight the dire humanitarian crisis happening in Gaza.

Je Amaechi, digital organizer for Freedom to Thrive, said Thanksgiving Day was chosen for a reason.

"That was intentional because we know a lot of people are gathering to celebrate, to feast," Amaechi explained. "We also want people to experience a slight aspect of deprivation so they can feel a little bit of what Palestinians experience daily in Gaza."

At least 12,000 people in Gaza have died since Israel began its military action there. Israel began the assault in response to an attack by Hamas on Oct. 7 that killed about 1,200 people.

Amaechi noted the event is inspired by fasting during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan and Black August, which has a fasting tradition held in solidarity with and in commemoration of Black political prisoners.

"We were both drawing from our own fasting traditions and our cultures and understanding from those traditions that there can be sort of a spiritual framework or spiritual underpinning to the political work we're doing," Amaechi emphasized.

Amaechi added organizations like Freedom to Thrive will continue to work toward peace in Gaza.

"Fasting is not enough and we recognize that there has to be more than that," Amaechi acknowledged. "But we're hoping this can be sort of like a spiritual challenge that can help us reflect on our privileges and just consider the stark contrast with those suffering under occupation in Gaza."

Some Missourians fear an increase in hate crimes in the wake of a six-year-old's murder in Illinois this week - an incident authorities say was motivated by the Israel-Hamas war. The U.S. Department of Justice's current hate crime fact sheet finds religion-based hate crimes in Missouri have more than doubled since 2019.

Captain Corey Carlisle of the Kansas City Police Department said there are no immediate safety concerns for Kansas City metro area residents.

"We closely monitor any threats or potential threats that could be targeting members of our community. If we receive any information that there is a potential for violence towards a certain person, place or thing, KCPD will implement extra patrol and security measures to ensure the safety of all of our community members," Carlisle said.

On Thursday, the Council on American Islamic Relations or CAIR cancelled its 29th annual banquet. The hotel scheduled to host the event this weekend - in Arlington, Virginia - has received multiple threats targeting the hotel, its staff, CAIR and American Muslims.

The most recent DOJ statement involves hate crime threats made this week in North Carolina toward Muslims. And the FBI has just released detailed 2022 data on over 11 million criminal offenses nationwide, including religion-based hate crimes.

Yasir Ali, CAIR Missouri Chapter Board Chair, said it is being proactive and planning talks about guidance with authorities around the state.

"There is the fear, especially what happened in Chicago, with a six-year-old that was stabbed 26 times," Ali said. "The community is in fear. It's nothing based on evidence at this point - like, within Missouri - but overall, there is this fear of an increase of Islamophobia."

In August, a Missouri man was sentenced to prison and damages for hate crime and arson violations, after pleading guilty to burning down the Cape Girardeau Islamic Center in 2020.


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